Tacoma’s newest waterfront restaurant is open and it’s fancy. Here’s what else it’s like

Gino’s at the Point brings South American flair to Pacific Northwest favorites.

Take a peek at the menu and renovations inside Dash Point's newest restaurant, the Peruvian-influenced Gino's at the Point.
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Take a peek at the menu and renovations inside Dash Point's newest restaurant, the Peruvian-influenced Gino's at the Point.
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The beach. The water.

Oh, those views of Vashon and Maury islands.

It’s magnificent to have another waterside restaurant again. I miss the Lobster Shop at Dash Point, which closed in 2014.

The sister Lobster Shop at Commencement Bay remains, but when the Dash Point dinner house closed, what went with it was 30 years of prom-night dining, anniversary celebrations, wedding-rehearsal dinners and other memories for the families that treated that restaurant as a special-occasion destination.

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The handsome two-story restaurant picks up where Lobster Shop at Dash Point left off in the fancy-dining department. The seafood-centric menu is deep, with a decent selection of steaks and chops, all kicked up with Peruvian and Mediterranean flair and a solid Northwest seasonal backbone. The restaurant opened April 5.

Find Gino’s at the Point on the Dash Point waterfront.
Sue Kidd
skidd@thenewstribune.com

What I love most about Gino’s at the Point is that bounty of seafood on the menu. Despite our proximity to the water and penchant for seafood, we boast surprisingly few upscale-leaning seafood restaurants with water views in Tacoma.

Count Gino’s at the Point as a solid member of that small seafood-centric fraternity alongside the Lobster Shop, Duke’s Boathouse, Anthony’s at Point Defiance, Harbor Lights and WildFin American Grill.

Restoring the restaurant to its rightful place as a celebration destination is Gino Rivera, known widely across the King County line for Gino’s Bistro, which he opened more than 15 years ago. Last year, he flipped the concept to El Barrio, a Latin-themed restaurant and lounge. His other Gino’s Bistro operates in Maple Valley.

Find Gino’s at the Point on the Dash Point waterfront.
Sue Kidd
skidd@thenewstribune.com

Opening Gino’s at the Point was a complicated undertaking. He opened half a year (ish) later than he expected, a consequence of unforeseen construction issues that only manifest after you start digging into the bones of an old, old building (as every owner of an old house knows).

Now that they’re open, it’s a family affair with a crew of Riveras doing everything from waiting tables to cooking to washing dishes and managing the restaurant.

In a restaurant family, everybody works.

The Rivera family is Gino and wife Kelly and their children, Keanu, Kiara, Max and Nyah.

Here’s a first-bite look at the new restaurant. It’s this paper’s policy to avoid criticism of a restaurant’s food and service in the first month.

The dining room of Gino’s at the Point on the Dash Point waterfront.
Sue Kidd
skidd@thenewstribune.com

The dining room: Downstairs, a bar is tucked into the back corner of a handsome room that looks like a rustic-modern version of a seaside Mediterranean restaurant. Wrought iron separates the bar from a dining area, with two- and four-seat tables positioned to enjoy the expansive water views. Exposed brick-and-concrete walls frame the back of the room. A polished concrete floor adds just a slightly casual feel.

The upstairs dining room feels a bit more intimate and cozy, with dining nooks and crannies and that same stunning view. A small room holds a table for eight with doors that slide closed for privacy.

The upstairs dining room at Gino’s at the Point on the Dash Point waterfront.
Sue Kidd
skidd@thenewstribune.com

The menu: Peruvian meets Mediterranean meets Northwest with lots of attention paid to seafood. Prices fall at the higher end of the restaurant market for Pierce County, with dinner entrees from $20 to $62.

Cocktails: 13 specialty drinks listed, including four versions of an old fashioned ($14 to $17) and classics such as a pisco sour ($14), Manhattan ($15) and a mule ($14).

Cocktails from Gino’s at the Point on the Dash Point waterfront.
Sue Kidd
skidd@thenewstribune.com

Wine: Two pages. Northwest bottles are the largest selection, with 36 bottles from Washington and Oregon, about 20 California wines and a few each of Italian, French and South American wines, priced $44 to $150 with a Captain’s list with a choice of 15 wines ($125 to $500). Five each of red and whites by-the-glass ($10 to $18). Draft and bottled beer also served.

Freebies: A server set down a half loaf of fresh-from-the-oven bread with a plate of olive and balsamic. Dip to your heart’s content. They’ll continue to fill your bread basket with warm bread so long as you have the stomach space for it.

Gluten free: Many items on the menu are marked with a gluten-free moniker for easy navigation

On a first visit: Ask for an extra basket of that dense, warm bread to soak up the saffron-spiked cream sauce and chorizo served with the sauteed mussels ($14). Vegetarians will love the bruschetta appetizer with a boost of garlic and balsamic glaze ($13).

Arroz ala Valenciana, with lobster, prawns, scallops and other seafood, served over Jasmine rice in a creamy fennel sauce from Gino’s at the Point on the Dash Point waterfront.
Sue Kidd
skidd@thenewstribune.com

Rivera is most proud of the entree from his native Peru — the lamb shank dish called seco ala nortena, which Rivera calls something of a Peruvian osso buco. That description fits. A slow-cooked lamb shank was served with a cilantro-spiked black beer sauce atop jasmine garlic rice, slow-cooked fava beans and salsa criolla ($42).

A bone-in ribeye steak from Gino’s at the Point on the Dash Point waterfront.
Sue Kidd
skidd@thenewstribune.com

Big eaters should look at the bone-in ribeye, in a magnificent 22-ounce portion size, that arrived perfectly seared medium rare and topped with a tangle of mushroom ragu, a side of roasted potatoes and snappy green beans ($49).

I couldn’t get enough of the big, bouncy handmade tortellini, jumbo sized, and filled with creamy butternut squash in an apple cider cream sauce and goat cheese ($21).

Save room for cannoli ($9). It comes dipped in chocolate, coated in Almond Roca and filled with an airy channel of pastry cream.

Sue Kidd has been The News Tribune’s restaurant critic since 2008. She dines anonymously and The News Tribune pays for all meals. Sue is a South Sound native. She writes about new restaurants, openings and closures and knows where to find the best tacos in every neighborhood.